Good morning dealmakers, it’s Obey Martin Manayiti with the US edition of the Wire from the New York newsroom on this deal-heavy Tuesday. E-commerce is front and center of consumer behavior these days, and PE firms are investing in the sector actively. We are opening the newsletter today with the news that HighPost Capital made a significant minority investment in Front Row Group. PE Hub was the first to report the deal. Stay tuned for HighPost chairman and CEO’s take on the deal, below. Next, private equity firms are increasingly investing in a modernization drive by the Department of Defense. Today we are turning to OceanSound Partners’ recent investment in a provider of integrated radio frequency and advanced communications products. I interviewed Joe Benavides, a managing partner at OceanSound, about the deal. And we have a couple of deal announcements. First, Branford Castle Partners has acquired a Wixom, a manufacturer of aviation component testing equipment. We have details about the seller below. And then Percheron Capital has launched a residential roofing repair and replacement services platform. Finally, I will close with a look at a new report from Dechert Global Private Equity that offers reasons to be optimistic about dealmaking in 2025. Emerging brands PE Hub was the first to report that HighPost Capital has made a significant minority investment in Front Row Group, an e-commerce and digital marketing agency. My colleague Rafael Canton spoke to David Moross, HighPost chairman and CEO, about the deal and how the emerging manager is investing its first fund, which closed in 2022. Premium subscribers to the Wire have access to more on this deal. Integrated radio frequency OceanSound Partners recently acquired Antenna Research Associates (ARA), a Laurel, Maryland-based provider of integrated radio frequency and advanced communications products to the aerospace and defense end-markets. Sign up for the premium version of the Wire to learn more about what Joe Benavides, a managing partner at OceanSound, told me. Aviation equipment testing Branford Castle Partners has acquired Testek Solutions, a Wixom, Michigan-based manufacturer of aviation component testing equipment from Odyssey Investment Partners. Premium subscribers to the Wire have more on this deal. Residential roofing repairs Percheron Capital has launched Alloy Roofing, a San Francisco-based residential roofing repair and replacement services platform. Alloy is launching through an initial partnership with Amstill Roofing, a Houston-based residential roofing and repair services. Upgrade to the premium version of the Wire to get more. Smoother road ahead After a slow start to the year, the global PE market has proved resilient in 2024, and there is increasing optimism that 2025 has the potential to be even stronger, Dechert’s 2025 Global Private Equity Outlook Report noted. Premium subscribers to the Wire have more on this report. That’s it for me today. As always, I’d love to hear from you at obey.m@pei.group. Craig McGlashan will bring you tomorrow’s Europe Wire, while Rafael Canton will bring you the US edition. Cheers, Obey Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ... |